Meant to Find You
by LottiePoynterr
Summary: Dougie runs away, Danny finds him and takes him in to live with his family. Contains violence. PONES! But no slash.. just friendship ;)
1. Chapter 1

**Dougie's POV:**

9th January 2003. I was 15. I was running down the street, through the snow, in only my t-shirt and shorts. I didn't have any shoes on, I didn't have enough time to worry about that. The snow stung the cuts on my face and arms as it hit me at full speed and after around 45 minutes of running, I stopped. Surely he couldn't find me here. I sat down against a wall on the small street I had ended up on and fell asleep, not worrying about what tomorrow would hold, but instead, about the possibility of him finding me.

**Danny's POV:**

I was walking down my road, on my way home from a night out with my mates. I was 17. As I walked, I looked down one of the side streets that led off from my street. I gasped when I saw it. A young boy, who couldn't have been more than 16 years of age, curled up against a wall in only a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He didn't even have shoes on! It was -4 degrees and snow was covering the ground, if he stayed like that all night, he'd die of hypothermia. I approached him slowly, as he was sleeping, and slowly put my hand on his arm. He woke up immediately when my skin touched his own and he flinched away.

'It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. Shouldn't you be at home? And why are you only wearing a t-shirt and shorts... and no shoes?' I asked quietly.

'N-n-no.' he spoke with chattering teeth.

'Well why not? Surely it would be safer than sitting out here and catching your death.' I said confused. He looked like he was thinking hard about something before his eyes turned glassy and he burst into floods of tears. 'Hey, hey, it's okay. Don't cry. Come on, you can come to mine for tonight, my parents won't mind and you can calm down and get warm okay?'. Dougie looked unsure at first but slowly nodded his head, still crying. I helped him to stand up and walked him up to my house. I wondered how long he had been out, I thought I was cold,but he was like an ice block.

'So what is your name?' I asked quietly.

'D-D-Dougie P-Poynt-ter.' he replied through tears and shivers.

'I'm Danny Jones. I'm seventeen.'

'F-Fift-teen.' he said quietly in reply. He was even younger than I thought! When we got to my house, I walked him slowly into my living room where my mum, dad and sister were. They looked at me suspiciously so I told Dougie to sit on the sofa while I had a talk with them. Me and my family were in the kitchen talking and Dougie was in our lounge.

'Mum. I know it's weird but he's only 15 and the clothes he has on are the only ones he has with him and I'm surprised he isn't ill already, he feels like he's about -20 degrees. Please can we just let him stay for one night? He'll die if he stays outside much longer. He doesn't even have shoes!'

'Well... Okay. But if he does anything bad or steals even a penny he's out.'

'Thank you so much guys! And he doesn't seem like the type to steal. He's too innocent.' I smiled. We walked through to the living room to tell him the news but were shocked when we saw him. He was pale white and was passed out on the floor.

'Dougie?!'


	2. Chapter 2

**Dougie's POV:**

I woke up on what felt like a soft, clean bed. Where was I? What was going on? I hadn't had a proper bed in years... I sat up an looked around, my chest was tight. I suddenly remembered what had happened with Danny. Him and his parents and sister had gone to talk in the kitchen when suddenly I felt myself having an asthma attack. I hated those things. I knew why it had happened, it had happened because I went from being really cold to being really warm too quickly. My heart couldn't take the change and just sort of flipped out. It had happened before. After a few minutes of silence, Danny walked in.

'Hey. Are you okay?' he asked concerned.

'Yeah. It was just an asthma attack, it's happened before. How long have I been passed out for?'

'Phew.. We were starting to get worried! And you've been up here sleeping for about 4 hours.' he smiled.

'4 hours!? Wow!'

'Well you looked exhausted when I found you. You're lucky that I did, we took you're temperature and you were 33 degrees. That's really low for a human. We thought you had hypothermia. You're still shivering, do you want to come downstairs and have a hot drink?'

'Yes please.' I replied. He took my trembling hand and walked me downstairs. We walked through to his lounge and I stood there awkwardly before eventually having the confidence to speak,'I'm sorry that I passed out. And I'm sorry that you have to look after me tonight. And just tell me if I get in the way and I'll go straight away. And if I cause any trouble at all I promise I'll just leave and I won't come back. And i-' I blabbered before being cut off by Danny's dad.

'It's no problem Dougie. You don't seem like much of a troublemaker.' he chuckled, motioning for me to sit on the sofa beside him. I shuffled forward and slowly sat in the space. Danny's mum smiled warmly at me before standing up and walking into the kitchen. Danny walked back in with a mug in his hands and passed it to me. I took it, mumbling a small thank you, and drank it slowly. I felt a little warmer when I had finished. We sat watching the TV for a few minutes before Danny leaned over and spoke to me,'Dougie?'

'Hmm..'

'How long were you outside before I found you?'

'Erm.. around 4 or 5 hours I guess...'

'Why were you sleeping on the street? Where are your parents?'

'I.. ermm.. I ran away.'

'Why Dougie? It wasn't safe sleeping outside in the freezing cold.'

'I know.. but it wasn't safe at home either.'

'Why not Dougie?' he asked, sounding generally concerned. I sat thinking about whether I should tell him or not, he seemed like a caring and trustworthy guy. After a couple of minutes, I decided I should probably tell him in case he thought there was something shifty about me.

'My.. erm.. my dad.. he.. he erm.. well..' I mumbled, stumbling on my words.

'It's okay Dougs. You can tell me. You don't have to be scared.' Danny told me comfortingly.

'Well.. h-he... he has been h-hitting me and a-abusing me s-since I w-was little. I-I haven't b-been living p-prop-perly for a while now b-but h-he d-doesn't care. And n-now he's l-lost h-his job and s-so h-he has b-been b-b-beating me u-up m-more than usual. And t-today he s-said t-that h-he h-has n-never loved m-me and that it w-would b-be better f-for him i-if I just w-wasn't a-a-around a-anymore s-so I ran a-away b-before h-he had the c-chance to k-k-kill m-me.' I blabbered out, almost breathlessly. When I had finished, a few tears began to roll down my cheeks and within minutes, I was wrapped in the comforting arms of Danny, bawling my eyes out. He rubbed my back soothingly as I cried and he whispered small comforting words into my ear. When I had calmed down a bit, his dad took hold of my hand and began talking to me,'Oh Dougie. You should not have to live with that. You can live here now, we'll keep you safe from your dad and you will never have to see that horrible man again.' he said comfortingly. I looked up at him, eyes wide with shock.

'B-but you h-hardly even know me. I d-don't want to get in the w-way.'

'You won't get in the way Dougie. It's fine. We trust you enough to let you stay.' Danny's mum said, walking back through.

'Thank you so much! I'll do anything and everything I can to help and if I ever get any money I'll give it to you for food and stuff. I promise I'll be good.'

'It's fine Dougie. And you don't owe us anything. You don't have to pay us. It's okay honestly'. I smiled up at the family before Danny pulled me up from the sofa and into a tight hug.

'Come on! You can sleep in my room. I'll get you some of my clothes to wear as well so you can be warm. And what size shoes are you?' he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs to his bedroom.

'Okay. Thank you. And I'm a size 7.'

'Oh.. I'm a size 9.. I'll go out and get you some that you like tomorrow.'

'Thank you so so much for everything Danny.'

'It's okay. I like you. You seem like really nice and friendly.'

'Thanks... and you seem amazingly friendly. And you're really kind for letting me stay, and so are your family. I owe you all a lot.'

'No you don't. It's fine really! Now what clothes do you want to wear to sleep in?'

'I don't mind.'

'Well I have a small pair of jogging bottoms and a band t-shirt you can wear. They'll be a bit big but they're the smallest I've got. I'll get some clothes that are your size when I go out tomorrow.'

'It's okay. I'm fine in big clothes. You don't have to get more.'

'Of course I do! But here you go for now.'

'Thank you.' I said, taking the clothes from Danny. I took my shirt off and was met by a gasp from Danny,'Oh my gosh Dougie! Is that what your dad did to you?' he asked worriedly, pointing to the ripped skin and foot shaped bruises all over my stomach and back. I nodded slightly and looked up at him.

'I'm so sorry Dougie. Come on, I'll clean the blood away for you.' he said, taking my hand and walking me downstairs into the kitchen,'MUM? WHERE IS THE FIRST AID KIT?' he shouted. His mum came running in and gasped as she saw me. She got the first aid kit down and handed it to Danny.

'Do you want me to help? I can take a look at some of the cuts if you'd like?'

'I think we're fine mum. I'll shout you if we need any help. Thank you though.'

'It's fine. I hope you're okay Dougie. I'll see you boys tomorrow.' she replied kindly before leaving the room. Danny dabbed away at my cuts with an antiseptic wipe as I winced at the pain of it. After about 10 minutes, it was finished. Danny took my hand and walked me up the stairs again. I got into the clothes he had given me as he set up an extra bed in his room.

'Come on. It's ready now. You can go to sleep. You still look exhausted.' he said to me from across the room. I shuffled over and lay awkwardly in the bed. Danny sat on the edge of the bed and tucked me in,'Calm down Dougie. There is no need to feel awkward or odd, we're just trying to help. This is your home now.' he said soothingly while stroking my hair. I calmed down a little, I trusted Danny and I knew that he wouldn't hurt me or let me get hurt. As Danny continued to stroke my hair to calm me down, I slowly let my eyes flutter closed and I fell into a deep, well needed sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dougie's POV:**

I_ ran. It was all that I knew I could do. It never helped me to get away, but it was surely worth a try. I could hear his footsteps pounding behind me. Coming after me to beat me up once again. I stopped, on the verge of collapsing, and turned to face him. He stopped in front of me and instantly punched me in the stomach. I fell to the floor, still weak from all the running, and lay there in pain and my dad lay into me with kicks and punches. When I thought he had finished, I looked up, only to see him holding a knife. 'You're pathetic and worthless. You're useless to everybody. All you do is cost us money. You don't deserve to live. You've disgraced this family and this earth for far too long now.' he hissed slowly pulling me up from the floor before slamming me against a wall. I saw the knife flying towards me and I didn't know what to do. I just screamed before..._

'AAAHHHHH! NO! NO! STOP IT! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I don't want to die..' I screamed. I burst into tears and curled up into a ball. It wasn't real, my dad hadn't attacked me. I looked down and saw the wet patch before bursting into even more tears. I was 15. Why had I just had a nightmare and wet the bed? It wasn't normal. It was pathetic. I was pathetic.

'Dougie? Dougs what is it?!' Danny asked, fear lacing his voice.

'I-I.. Danny...' I mumbled. Breaking down even more into Danny's strong arms.

'Oh Dougie... Did you have a nightmare Dougs?' he asked soothingly whilst hugging me from the side of my bed. I nodded.

'It's okay Dougie. Nobody can hurt you now. Go back to sleep.'

'I-I-I can't..'

'Why not? Are you still scared? You can sleep in my bed if you'd like.'

'N-no I-I've... I-I've... Oh I'm sorry!'

'It's okay Dougie. What have you done? I won't be angry I promise.'

'I-I've w-w-wet-t t-the b-b-bed D-Danny. I'm s-s-so s-sorry.' I said bursting into yet more tears.

'It's okay Dougie. It's fine really. I'll get you some other clothes and boxers and I'll run you a bath and then you can sleep in my bed and I'll wash your sheets in the morning. It's okay. Please stop crying! It's really fine just please don't cry.' he said comfortingly, rubbing my back and stroking my hand.

'I-I'm r-really sorry. I-I'll s-sleep on th-the f-floor. I d-don't have to s-sleep in y-your b-bed.'

'There is nothing to be sorry for Dougs. It was an accident. It's fine really. And you're sleeping in my bed no matter what you say! Come on. Come with me and I'll run you a bath.' he said kindly but sternly, sticking his hand out for me to take hold of. I took his hand after a seconds hesitation and walked through to the bathroom with him. He left for a second and then came back, minutes later, with another pair of jogging bottoms, a pyjama t-shirt and a pair of boxers. He started running the bath and got out a flannel and a new bottle of soap,'Here you go Dougie. The clothes will be a little big again but like I said, I'll get you some new ones tomorrow and then you don't have to wear things that are too big on you. And I just picked out a random bottle of soap but you can choose a different one if you'd like.'

'Thank you so much Danny. I'm so sorry. I promise I'll try and stop. It's just the nightmares about my dad, sometimes they get really bad and they just s-scare me s-so m-much a-a-and I-I...' I said, stopping due to tears streaming down my face.

'Shh shh it's okay Dougie. It's fine. I understand, you'll get over it in time. Don't cry, it's okay, please don't cry.' he soothed, pulling me in to hug him again and planting small kisses on my forehead. He stood up from the hug after a couple of minutes and went to stop the bath running,'It's ready now Dougs. Do you want me to go?'

'C-c-can you s-stay p-please?' I asked, trembling.

'Of course I can Dougie. I'll turn around while you get changed.'

'D-Danny?'

'Yeah Dougs?'

'I-I d-don't k-know if I c-can d-do this.'

'Why not Dougie?'

'W-well... erm.. m-my d-dad he.. erm.. he used to h-hold me under t-the w-water a-and I c-couldn't b-breath a-and it's just s-sort of.. well.. I d-don't know. I-its just s-sort of made me s-scared of w-water I g-guess.' I muttered, hoping he'd managed to hear me so that I wouldn't have to repeat it, as I already had fresh tears threatening to fall from my eyes.

'It's okay Dougie. I will never hurt you. It's okay, you're safe here, I promise. Come on, I'll help you. Arms up!' he said calmly. I stared at him for a second, shocked that he was offering to help me get changed. However, after a second, I realised that if he didn't help, I would end up just not getting in the bath at all. I knew that I had to and so I slowly raised my arms above my head, trembling slightly. Danny gave me a warm, comforting smile before going on to pull my t-shirt up over my head. Once it was of he slowly moved his hands towards the rim of my jogging bottoms. I flinched away a little, scared of what could potentially happen, but then I realised that Danny wasn't here to hurt or scare me. He wasn't like my father. He was kind and caring. I shuffled forwards again and he slowly lowered my trousers down, pulling them off my feet. He smiled at me kindly before speaking up,'Do you want to do your boxers or should I? It's completely up to you. I don't want to make you feel awkward or scared. I just want to help you.' he said kindly. I thought about it for a second and decided that even though it would be awkward, it might be better if Danny did it. I just couldn't shake the feeling about my dad coming to get me and I was practically frozen with fear.

'P-p-please c-could y-you? I-if you d-d-don't m-mind.' I whispered, embarrassed by how weak that sentence sounded..

'It's fine Dougie. I don't mind. I understand.' he replied kindly before taking my boxers off, avoiding the damp area. He walked me over to the bath and lowered me into it.

'There you go Dougie. You're in now, there's nothing to worry about.'

'Th-thank you.'

'It's okay Dougie. Do you want me to wash your hair while your in here and then it's done for tomorrow?' Danny asked quietly.

'Ermm.. o-okay.' I muttered. Danny stood up and got a small jug and a bottle of shampoo and conditioner out the cupboard. He also got another dry flannel.

'If you put this over your eyes and lean your head back a little then no shampoo will go in your eyes. Can you do that for me Dougie?' he asked, passing me one of the dry flannels. I nodded and he smiled supportively at me. I leant my head back and allowed Danny to support it with his hand.

'Now don't be scared Dougs. I'm not going to put you under the water, I'm just going to pour it over your hair. Is that okay?'

'Y-yeah. I t-trust y-you.' I replied shakily. He took one of my small hands in his own for comfort and support and he picked up the jug with his other hand. He filled it with water and slowly began tipping it over the back of my head. I instantly tensed up, however he rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb and managed to calm me down a little. After a few minutes, he had finished washing my hair and so I sat up and moved the flannel away from my eyes.

'Well done Dougs. I'm proud of you, I know that can't have been easy for you.' Danny said supportively. I nodded in thanks and began washing myself with the spare flannel and soap. After another couple of minutes I was finished so Danny passed me a towel and I dried myself with it. I then got into the new clothes he had got for me and walked with him back to his bedroom.

'You get in Dougs. I'm just going to get on a new t-shirt. Mine got a bit wet when I washed your hair.'

'Sorry...' I mumbled.

'It's okay. It's not your fault!' he said happily. I got into his bed, taking up as little space as I could and slowly fell asleep again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Danny's POV:**

I got into my bed, mere seconds after Dougie, and laid next to the smaller boy. He had fallen asleep already, obviously trying to take up as little space as possible without falling off the bed. I pulled him further onto the bed to avoid him falling off and he didn't even flinch, he was exhausted! I fell asleep after about 10 minutes.

* * *

I woke up at about 9 the next morning. Dougie's hand was now linked securely in mine and his head was nuzzled into my chest. I carefully pulled away from him, being sure not to wake him up, and walked across the room. I pulled his sheets from his bed and walked downstairs with them. I passed my mum in the living room and she gave me a curious look,'Why have you got sheet's in your hand?'

'They're Dougie's. He had a nightmare about his dad. It was a really bad one and he woke up crying, screaming and shaking. I went over to try and get him to go back to sleep and I found out that he'd wet the bed because he'd been so scared. I took him into the bathroom and helped him have a bath. I had to help him because he was scared because his dad used to hold him under the water. I washed his hair for him and then when we got back into my bedroom, I told him that he could sleep in my bed for the rest of the night and so he did.' I told her truthfully.

'Poor Dougie. He's been through so much for a boy his age. I hope it hasn't scarred him too much, we'll have to try and help him to get over his fears.' My dad said sympathetically from across the room. Me and my mum nodded and I continued into the kitchen to wash Dougie's bed sheets.

'DANNY! DANNY HELP ME!' I heard Dougie scream in terror from upstairs. I dropped the sheets and sprinted up to my bedroom. I ran in and looked to the bed, Dougie wasn't there! I stepped in further and looked around for the younger boy. I eventually found him, curled up in a ball crying underneath my bed. I pulled him out and sat cradling him in my arms as he sobbed,'Dougie? Dougie what's the matter?'

'M-m-my d-d-d-dad. I-I t-th-thought h-he w-w-was h-here.' he choked out through sobs. I hugged Dougie tighter and assured him that his dad wasn't coming here and that he would never be hurt by him again. Once he had calmed down, I took him downstairs to get breakfast,'What do you want Dougie?'

'I.. erm.. I don't know...' he muttered.

'Well what do you usually have?'

'I.. ermm... I don't eat that much. I usually just have a sandwich at about 6'o'clock and that's it.'

'Dougie.. that's not healthy. You need to start eating more.'

'I would have eaten more.. I really would, but my dad wouldn't let me. My stomach just sort of adjusted I guess.' he replied nervously, looking down and shuffling his feet around.

'Well you're here now. So I'm going to make you some toast. Okay?'

'Okay.' he said in reply quietly. I threw some bread in the toaster and when it popped back out, I spread butter on it and gave it to Dougie on a plate,'There you go Dougs.'

'Thanks Danny.' he replied, picking up one of the slices of toast I had given him. He grimaced at the smell but looked up at me and took a bite anyway. He slowly finished the rest of the piece and started on the second one, bit by bit, swallowing it down. When he had finished we walked through to the lounge and sat on the sofa. I looked over at Dougie and saw that he was breathing deeply, with his cheeks sucked in, and he had turned a pale white colour.

'Dougie? Are you okay? You've gone a bit pale.' I said worriedly.

'I feel a little sick.' he mumbled.

'Do you want me to get you some water?'

'Ermm.. yes please.'

'Okay Dougs. One second.' I replied quickly, leaving the room and running back in, seconds later, with a glass of cold water. Dougie took a small sip and put the glass down on the ground.

'Do you feel a little better?' I asked after a few more minutes. No reply. I asked again. Still no reply. 'Dougs? Dougie?'

'Danny.' he said bluntly.

'Yeah Dougs?'

'I think I'm gonna be sick.' he mumbled, sounding ill and tired. I quickly took hold of his small, sweaty hand and pulled him up from the sofa. He slapped his other hand over his mouth, the quick movement obviously upsetting his stomach, and followed me up the stairs. I opened the bathroom door and pulled the lid of the toilet up quickly. He fell in front of it and immediately began being sick. I rubbed circles on his back as he retched, trying to calm his stomach. After a few minutes, he stopped vomiting and rested his head limply against the wall.

'Are you okay Dougie?' I asked, concerned.

'Yeah, I think so, yeah.'

'What made you sick?'

'I don't know. I felt funny ever since I ate the toast. It's probably because I'm not used to it.'

'Yeah. I suppose so. Do you want to come downstairs again and watch TV?'

'Yeah. Okay then.'

'Come on then.' I replied happily. Scooping Dougie up from the floor in my arms and carrying him downstairs, him still feeling weak. I lay him on the sofa and sat next to him, laying his head in my lap.

'Are you feeling better now Dougie?' my dad asked, sounding concerned.

'Yeah.. I.. erm.. I think it was just.. erm...' he stuttered nervously, looking up at me for help.

'We think it was just because Dougie isn't used to eating very much and his body needs to adjust.' I said calmly. Dougie looked up at me, thanking me with his eyes and I smiled down at him warmly. He fell asleep again a few minutes later so I covered him in a blanket, turned of the television, and left him to get some well needed and well deserved sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Dougie's POV:

I woke up to Danny's face smiling down at me. He was shaking my arms softly.

'Hey Dougs, I'm sorry to wake you. I was just wondering if you wanted to come out and get some new clothes with me? Just then you dont have to wear ones that are too big on you.'

'Yeah.. Sounds good.' I replied sleepily.

'Are you sure? You still seem a bit tired.'

'Yeah.. I'll be fine. Lets go. It's like 3 and the shops will be closing in about 2 hours and it takes half an hour to get there anyway.'

'Yeah you're right! Come on!' Danny replied excitedly, pulling me up from the sofa with one hand and running me out to the car. There wasn't really that much point in me going into town, I just stayed quiet and occasionally nodded my head in response to Danny's questions. I was struggling to stay awake and I felt too tired to waste my energy on speaking. When we got back into the car an hour later, I fell asleep in the passenger seat within seconds. I was woken up 20 minutes later by Danny.

'Hey sleepyhead. We're home now so you can get in bed and sleep there, it will be more comfortable.' he said softly. I nodded and walked into the house, still half asleep. I lay in my bed and fell asleep in mere minutes once again.

* * *

When I next woke up, it was dark. I looked around and saw that Danny wasn't in his bed, so I stood up and walked downstairs and into the lounge where Danny and his family were sat watching a film.

'Hey Dougs! Are you okay?' Danny said happily as he noticed me walking into the room.

'Yeah thanks. I'm good. W-what time is it?'

'Ermm.. It's about ten to eleven.'

'Woah! I've been sleeping for almost 6 hours?!' I asked, shocked that I had slept for that long without having a nightmare.

'Yeah, we made you some dinner but you looked so peaceful and we didn't want to wake you so we just wrapped it up. I can re-heat it for you if you'd like?'

'I.. Ermm... Can I wait till tomorrow to eat something else please? Don't get me wrong, I know that it will be good for me it's just that I'm not used to eating that much and I still feel a little sick from this morning. I promise that I'll eat as much as I can tomorrow just please can I leave it? Just for tonight?' I asked cautiously, not wanting to annoy the only people who were offering to be a good family to me.

'Of course you can Dougie. It's okay, we know that it's hard after what happened this morning but we'll start a fresh tomorrow.' Danny said soothingly. I instantly relaxed a little and Danny motioned for me to go and sit over on his knee. I slowly shuffled across the room before sitting in his lap and wrapping my arms around him.

'I'm proud of you you know Dougs. You're an amazing person.'

'W-why are you proud o-of me?' I asked shocked at what he had said.

'Well you've been through so much but you're trying to get past it all. You're not letting it defeat you and it's just amazing to see.' he said, genuinely sounding like a proud parent.

'Thank you Danny. Thank you for saying those things. It's really supportive and it makes me feel a lot better.'

'Its okay. I just wish that I could've found you earlier and stopped this happening to you.'

'Yeah... Same.' I sighed.

'Should we go to bed?' Danny asked after a few minutes of silence.

'Yeah. It's surprising how much sleeping all day can tire you out.' I laughed, making Danny giggle slightly. We walked up to his bedroom and both climbed into our beds.

'Night Dougs.' Danny said quietly.

'Night Dan' I replied, slowly drifting off to sleep for the 4th time that day.

* * *

I woke up later that night, feeling the familiar warm wetness near my legs. It had happened again! Why did I keep doing this?! What must Danny think of me?! I stood up, tears rolling down my cheeks and off my chin, and walked over to Danny's bed and gently shook his arm. I continued lightly shaking him until he woke up.

'Hey Dougs. What's the matter?' he said sleepily.

'It's happened again Danny. I've done it again. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to it just happened.' I cried out to him quietly. He stood up and pulled me into a hug.

'I've told you Dougs. It's okay. There is no need to cry, it's fine. We'll help you get through the nightmares in your own time. Come on, lets get you cleaned up and you can sleep in my bed again.' he soothed. We went through the familiar process of him running me a bath and helping me to get into it. I climbed into his bed again about half an hour later and he wrapped his arms around me.

'You know Dougie, you don't have to sleep on your own. You can sleep in my bed every night if you'd prefer. It seems to help with the nightmares.' he whispered to me comfortingly.

'I think I'd like that. Thank you Danny.' I replied happily.

'It's okay Dougie. Have a nice sleep.' he whispered again as I slowly drifted off back into the land of dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

**Danny's POV:**

Me and Dougie spent the whole of the next day watching films. I'd brought him quite a lot of new clothes and at least 6 different pairs of pyjamas so he tried those on during the afternoon as well. When my parents came home they unpacked the shopping that they had picked up before walking through to the lounge. I knew for a fact that Dougie still hadn't eaten anything but the toast since he'd been here and so I took his hand and led him through to the kitchen with me.

'What do you want to eat Dougie? Choose something that you like and it will make it easier to eat.' I said quietly.

'I don't really know what I like. I can't really remember.. I'm sorry Danny.'

'Don't be silly! It isn't your fault and you don't have to apologise. I'll just get you some chicken nuggets and chips, is that okay?' Dougie nodded slightly in response and stood still in the door frame.

'You can sit down you know Dougs. You don't have to be scared and you don't have to ask. This is your home now as well.' I said comfortingly, trying to get him to calm down a little. He was slowly becoming more relaxed in the house and around us but you could tell that he still felt a little awkward about the whole thing and he was still very shy towards us. He shuffled over to the kitchen table and slowly lowered himself onto one of the chairs that surrounded it. I took him over a plate of chicken nuggets and chips, identical to mine, and sat beside him.

'It's okay if you can't eat it all Dougie. Don't feel that you have to. Just eat as much as you can, yeah?' I said supportively whilst grabbing hold of his hand. He nodded and picked up one of the chicken nuggets, he took a bite and chewed it thoroughly before swallowing it. He looked up at me and I smiled, trying to be at least a little supportive. We continued eating, I finished after about 20 minutes and Dougie finished around 10 minutes after me. He looked a little ill when he'd done eating and so I got him a bucket and lay him on the sofa, stroking his hair softly.

'Do you feel okay Dougs?' I asked softly.

'I feel a little bit sick. Like yesterday but a tiny bit worse. It really hurts Danny.' he whimpered, trying not to cry.

'Oh Dougie.. Where is it that hurts?'

'My tummy...' he mumbled, this time giving into the tears and starting to sob.

'Its okay Dougie. It will feel better in a little while, I promise.' I sighed, stroking his hair again. He sniffed and nodded a little before nuzzling his head further into my lap. We sat like that for a few minutes before he began to wriggle around.

'I feel sick again Danny..' he muttered.

'Do you feel like you're actually going to throw up?'

'A bit yeah..'

'Sit up then Dougs.' I said, slowly pulling him into a sitting position. It was then that I realised that his face had gone pale and he was sweating quite a lot. I picked up the bucket from the floor and placed it on his knee.

'Danny I-' he managed to blurt out before he began vomiting into the bucket. I rubbed his back as he was being sick and when he had finished I took the bucket from him and put it out in the back garden by the hose. I walked back inside, where Dougie was sat on the sofa, crying his little eyes out.

'It's okay Dougs. Do you feel a bit better now?'

'A-a lit-ttle.'

'That's good then. Come here.' I smiled, beckoning him over for a hug. He quickly stood up and ran to hug me, throwing his arms around my waist and burying his head in my chest. I rubbed his back as he cried softly into my shirt and when he had calmed down a little, I looked over at the clock. It was just past 10.

'Do you want to go to bed Dougs?' I asked quietly. He nodded and pulled away from me, wiping his eyes and nose with his sleeve. We walked up to my bedroom and both got into our pyjamas before both climbing into my bed.

'Sweet dreams Dougs.'

'You too Danny...' he mumbled sleepily as he fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

I felt Dougie tossing and turning in the bed beside me for a while before I suddenly felt a warm liquid soaking into my bed sheets and one half of my pyjama bottoms. I knew immediately what had happened and I stood up from the bed. I changed my own trousers before I woke Dougie up so that he didn't feel guilty or ashamed that he had accidently soaked me as well as my bed. When I had finished, I walked round to Dougie's side of the bed and gently shook him awake. He sat up, eyes wide, before suddenly realising what had happened and bursting into tears.

'Hey, hey... it's okay. Come on, lets get you cleaned up and in some different clothes.' I soothed. I didn't mind at all that this had happened, it wasn't Dougie's fault and it was an accident.. why should I be angry? It's not like he meant for this to happen.

'I-I'm s-s-s-so s-sorry. I-I-I..' he gasped out through tears.

'Calm down Dougie. It's okay. You're not in trouble, it's fine. There is no need to apologise. Just breathe and calm down.' I said quietly as I walked him through to the bathroom. I helped him to have a bath again and he was so exhausted that he ended up falling asleep as I was drying his hair in the bathroom. I scooped him up in my arms and carried him through to our bedroom before laying him in his bed and climbing in beside him. I took his small hand in my own and wrapped my free arm around his waist to keep him warm. I fell asleep after a few minutes, not even starting to imagine the horrors that were yet to come for Dougie.


	7. Chapter 7

Danny's POV:

Dougie went out for a walk the next day and didn't come back for quite a while. I was starting to get worried when I suddenly heard the door fly open and Dougie run in. I shouted 'Hi' but he didn't reply, instead, he just sprinted up the stairs. I heard the bathroom door slam shut before hearing a number of bottles hitting the floor. I walked slowly upstairs and knocked on the door.

'Are you okay Dougie?' I asked. The reply I got was just a collection of cries and whimpers. 'Dougie you're scaring me now... What's happened?'

'Danny... I-it w-was horrible. H-he... H-he d-did it o-over a-a-and over and i-it hurt s-so m-m-much..' he choked out through heavy breaths and sobs.

'Dougie you're confusing me... What's happened? Who has hurt you? Open the door and talk to me... Please Dougs.' I pleaded. I heard some movement inside the bathroom before the door clicked open and I was met by a shaking, sobbing, bleeding Dougie looking up at me. He was breathing quickly but heavily. I took hold of his small hands and attempted to soothe him.

'Calm down Dougie. Come on, do this for me, just try to calm down and breathe. That's it. Come on, deep breaths, just try and get calm.' I soothed, gently stroking his hand. It was obvious that he was having a panic attack and, luckily, I had learnt how to deal with one in school. He calmed down slightly after around 10 minutes.

'Thats right Dougie.. It's okay now. You're okay, you're safe here.' I comforted, pulling him to my chest for a tight hug. I pulled away after a second and slowly walked Dougie into my room. He was still shaking violently and crying but his breathing had gone more normal. I decided to ask him what had happened again so that he could get all of his emotion out at once.

'What happened Dougs? Who's scared you like this?' I asked quietly.

'I-it was h-horrible. T-the man.. H-he d-did it o-over and over a-again. I th-thought t-that he w-would n-never stop. I-it was s-so p-painful. I-I t-tried to get h-him to l-leave. I a-asked him.. I s-said p-please a-and e-e-everything b-but h-he just w-wouldn't. I-I w-was so s-scared D-Danny... s-so so s-scared.' he blurted out, shaking more and more the further into the story he got. I still didn't have a clue what had happened though.

'What did the man do Dougie? How did he hurt you?'

'H-he t-took my innocence D-Danny. H-he v-v-viola-lated m-me. H-he r-r-r-raped me D-Danny.' he cried out. He burst into even more tears when he said that and, to be honest, I wasn't far off being in tears myself. I couldn't believe that somebody could do that. Especially to such a young and vulnerable boy. I pulled Dougie onto my knee and wrapped my arms around him, hoping to make him feel safe and protected. He cried into my shirt and didn't stop shaking for around 40 minutes. I knew that my parents were due home soon and I was hoping that Dougie would be calmer by then so that I could tell them in private what had happened instead of him having to relive the whole thing again in his head.

'D-DD-Danny?'

'Yeah Dougs?' I asked in reply, still holding Dougie tight to my chest.

'A-am I a-a-allowed t-to have a b-bath? I-I w-want to f-feel c-clean a-again. I f-feel d-dirty but I-I d-don't want to. I want t-to f-feel clean.' he mumbled, tears still flowing down his cheeks.

'Of course Dougie. Come on, I'll run you one.' I replied, slowly lowering him onto his feet and standing up beside him. I took hold of his small, shivering hand and walked him through to the bathroom. I ran him a bath and walked towards him. He flinched away slightly before putting his hands to the rim of his shirt.

'I-I c-can do I-it. I-I k-know y-you're just t-trying to h-help I-I j-just don't r-really w-want anyb-body t-touching m-my body r-right now.'

'Its okay Dougie. I understand. Do you want me to turn away while you get changed and get in?' I asked.

'N-no t-thanks. I d-don't r-really want t-to e-ever b-be out o-of your s-s-sight a-again. I f-feel safe-fer a-when I'm a-around y-you.' he muttered in reply.

'Okay then Dougie.' He quickly got undressed and climbed into the bath. He sat there for a little while, just staring down at the water, before slowly starting to scrub his arms with a cloth. His scrubbing got harder and harder before I couldn't take it anymore. He was doing it so roughly that he was starting to break the eking on his arms.

'Dougie! Dougie stop! You're going to hurt yourself!' I stated, prising his hands from the cloth.

'But Danny. You don't understand. I have to get clean. I have to wash away all of the dirtiness that he has left behind. I need to be clean again like I was before Danny.'

'I know Dougie, I know. Just calm down. Come on, come downstairs and I'll get you a drink and we'll watch a film to try and get your mind off it. Okay?'

'Okay.' he replied, sighing slightly. I helped him up out of the bath and passed him a towel which he dried himself with before getting into a pair of pyjamas. It was only 4.30 but it didn't matter. It's not like be was going out anywhere... Especially after the day he'd just had. We walked downstairs and I got Dougie a mug of hot chocolate before putting on a Disney film and sitting beside him. We sat watching it for a while before Dougie silently began crying again.

'Hey, hey, don't cry. What's the matter?' I soothed, pulling him closer towards me and putting my arms around me.

'I-it was s-so h-horrible Danny. I-I k-keep re-remembering it a-and I-it's horrible.' he mumbled, burying his head into my neck and crying more.

'You're safe now Dougie. I'm here now.' I replied just as my parents came through the door.

'Hey boys! Dougie? What's the matter? Why are you crying?' My dad asked concerned. Dougie didn't reply, instead he just continued sobbing into my shirt.

'I'll tell you later dad.' I told him, rubbing Dougie's back comfortingly. He fell asleep in my arms after about 20 minutes and I lay him down on the sofa, covering him with a blanket and supporting his head with pillows.

'So why was Dougie so upset?' my mum asked almost immediatly.

'Well he went out for a walk today and when he came back he was having a panic attack. I managed to calm him down and when I asked him want had happened he just said that a man had hurt him over and over again. I didn't know what he meant by that so I asked again and he told me that he had been raped while he was out. He said he felt dirty and when he had a bath, I had to pull his hands away from him because he was trying to get himself clean and he was scrubbing so hard that he was ripping the skin on his arms where he was washing them. I brought him down here and put on a film but he just started crying again and then you came in.' I blurted out quickly, leaving my mum and dad to process the information. My mum gasped and put a hand over her mouth while my dad just looked like he wanted to punch something.

'How could somebody do something like that to such an innocent young boy?' My dad asked in horror.

'I don't know dad. I was wondering the same thing. But that doesn't matter now.. All that matters is that we help Dougie get over the trauma of everything that has happened to me. I'm taking him upstairs to get some well needed sleep. I'll see you later. Love you.' and with that, I picked up Dougie's small body and took him to my bedroom. Trying to think of ways to help Dougie get over all of the horrors of his past.


	8. Chapter 8

**Danny's POV:**

Dougie started to wake up about 2 hours after I had carried him up to bed. He had been muttering small cries for help throughout his sleep and I was worrying about him. I pulled him into my arms as he slept and stroked his hair softly which helped to soothe him a little. When he woke up he panicked as he realised that he was in somebody's arms and began crying and trying to escape, I instantly loosened my grip on him and tried to get him to calm down.

'Its okay Dougie, It's okay. I'm here, it's Danny. Look Dougs, I'm not going to hurt you, it's me Danny, you're safe with me.' I said calmly, trying to get him to look at me. He slowly began to calm down and when he realised that it was me he wrapped his arms around me. He sobbed into my shirt for a minute before pulling away.

'I-I'm s-s-sorry D-Danny. I-it's j-just scared m-me so m-m-much.'

'It's okay Dougie, don't apologise. It's not your fault that this horrible man has hurt you. But you're safe here.' I said quietly as I pulled him into a tight hug once again.

'Do you want to go and get some dinner Dougs? It's about 7 so it should be ready.' I asked, attempting to get his mind off it. He nodded slowly and began to stand up before he suddenly screamed out in pain and sat back on the bed.

'Dougie?! Dougie what is it? What's wrong?' I asked worriedly.

'I-it h-h-hurts D-Danny.' he whimpered out.

'What hurts Doug?'

'T-to walk. I-it h-hurts t-to w-w-walk.'

'Where does it hurt Dougs?'

'I-I c-c-can't s-say. I-it's e-embarras-ssing.' he sobbed out.

'It's okay Dougie. I don't mind, I just want you to feel better. Now come on, tell me, where is it that hurts Dougs?'

'W-w-where h-he r-r-rap-ped m-me D-Danny.' he choked out before bursting into even more tears. I lay him down in his bed and gently kissed his forehead.

'It's okay Dougie, I understand. I'll get you some dinner and I'll bring it up here with some painkillers.' I said calmly as I soothed him. I left the room a second later and went downstairs.

'Hey Dan! Is Dougie okay? We heard him scream?'

'He's in a bit of pain from what happened, you know?'

'Oh.. that poor boy. I hope he feels better soon. I'm so glad you found him Dan and he doesn't have to go through all of this pain alone.' my mum smiled up at me. I nodded and continued into the kitchen.

'Oh Dan? You and Dougie's dinners are in the fridge. We wrapped them up for you instead of disturbing you.' my mum shouted through from the other room. I smiled slightly.

'Thanks mum!' I shouted in reply before walking over to the fridge and pulling out mine and Dougie's dinners. Luckily, it was salad and chicken so I didn't have to re-heat it. I took both the plates of food and a box of painkillers upstairs and into my room. I helped Dougie to sit up in the bed and put the plate on his knee before giving him a knife and fork. He took them from me and smiled at me before starting to eat his dinner. He stopped once about half the food was gone and looked up at me.

'Can I leave it please?' he asked quietly.

'Sure Dougs. That's fine. Well done for eating so much, it was a big portion so you've done really well.' I said happily in reply, smiling down at him. I finished my dinner before stacking up the plates and putting them on my bedside table. I walked through to the bathroom and got him a small glass of water. He took it from me and mumbled a small thank you before taking a gulp of it and swallowing two of the painkillers. When he had done that I took the glass from him and put it down next to the plates.

'Danny?' he asked quietly a little while later.

'Yeah Dougs?'

'W-what if t-the m-man finds m-me a-and does it a-again?'

'I won't let him Dougs. He will never hurt you again.'

'B-but i-it was only o-on t-the street w-where y-you fo-found me on t-the first n-night a-a-and t-that's n-not very f-far a-away. W-what if h-he s-saw where I-I w-went?'

'It's okay Dougie. Calm down. Even if he did, he can't come in here and you don't have to leave the house without one of us around. You'll never have to be alone again.'

'T-thank you Danny. I love you.' he mumbled.

'Love you too Dougs.' I replied quietly as he fell asleep in my arms once again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Danny's POV:**

I was woken up at just gone 4 in the morning by Dougie screaming at the top of his lungs. I looked across to him only to see him sat up in bed, gasping for air and sweating madly. I quickly took hold of one of his small hands and stroked it gently.

'It's okay Dougs, you're safe here. Safe with me.'

'Danny! Danny! H-he's going to come back and do it again isn't he? He told me! He told me he would and I'm scared Danny! I don't want to go through that again.. Please!'

'No Dougie.. That isn't going to happen. I promise, I'll keep you safe.'

'B-but he said he would Danny! What if he finds me and you're not there and I'm all alone just like I used to be? Or what if he got into the house somehow?'

'That isn't going to happen Dougie. If you're scared by any single person that comes into this house, we will make them leave straight away. I promise. Now do you need to have a bath and change your clothes and bed sheets?'

'Y-yes please.'

'Come on then Dougs.' I said calmly in reply, helping him to stand. He walked slowly, stopping every now and again because of the pain he still had. We got there and I ran him a bath as he stripped down to his boxers and then when the bath was ready, he took those off and climbed in. His face contorted with pain as he sat down.

'What is it Dougs?' I asked concerned.

'I-it stings a bit.'

'It's okay Dougie. That will go away in a minute, I swear. The water will make you feel better.' I said comfortingly, grabbing hold of his small hand and squeezing it tightly. He nodded and tried to relax and within a couple of seconds, he was fine again. He sat in the bath for a few minutes before I helped him up out of it and wrapped him in a towel. We walked back to my room and lay in my bed, leaving Dougie's bed to be cleaned tomorrow. He snuggled up to my side and slowly fell asleep once again.

* * *

**Dougie's POV:**

I woke up at about 9 the next morning to see Danny sleeping peacefully beside me. I decided that I had put him through enough trouble and that he needed his rest. I stood up and got dressed by myself before kissing Danny gently on the head and slowly leaving the room. I could hear Danny's mum and dad talking to somebody in the lounge and I didn't really want to go in but I was really thirsty and it was the only way through to the kitchen. I hurried through the room and into the kitchen, not looking up from the floor, before pouring myself a glass of water and heading back towards Danny's room. I was stopped by Danny's mum halfway through the lounge.

'Dougie? I'm glad you're feeling better today. This is my work colleague Matthew.' she said kindly. I slowly removed my gaze from the floor and looked up at everybody, I froze however when I recognised the face of the stranger sat beside Danny's mum. It was him. The man who had violated me over and over again in the alleyway, the man who had made my life a hell again just as it was starting to get better. I dropped my glass and allowed it to smash all over the floor before sprinting out of the room and up into the bathroom. I slammed the door shut and locked it. Once I was in the room, I did the same that I had done the day before and angrily hit all of the bottles from the cupboards to the floor. I panicked. I stressed out with the fact that he was now in the same house as me and a strange feeling of hurt and anger washed over me before I suddenly punched the mirror on the wall, shattering it into thousands of tiny shards. I then sat on the floor with my back against the door and my knees pulled up to my chest. I sat crying to myself, feeling the oh too familiar feeling of insecurity and loss bubbling up inside of me.


	10. Chapter 10

Harry's POV:

None of us had seen or heard from Danny since the night that we had gone out and we were starting to get a little worried. He was my best friend and it had been that way since we were 3/4 years old. Me and Tom decided to go and surprise him at his house. Tom was the oldest of all three of us and we had met him when I was 6 and Dan was 5. We had hardly spent a minute away from each other since we'd all met. When we arrived at Danny's house, one of his mum's work mates was just leaving and we waved at him slightly before continuing towards the door. We knocked on and Danny's mum answered.

'Hey boys! Now isn't really the best time to see Danny. There's been a bit of a crisis.'

'Why? What's happened? Are Dan and Vic okay?' I asked worriedly. I could hear a muffled crying sound coming from upstairs and the sound of Danny and his dad trying to comfort somebody.

'Yeah, they're both fine. But has Danny not told you about Dougie?'

'No? Who's Dougie?' I asked confused.

'You'd better come in and I'll tell you.' she said calmly, stepping inside to allow us inside. We walked through and slipped off our shoes before sitting down in the lounge.

'The night you all went out, Danny found a young boy sleeping on the streets on his way home. He bought him back here to keep him warm and he had an asthma attack and passed out. We took his temperature and put him to bed and when he woke up, he told us that he was on the street because his dad had been abusing him for years and he was scared that he was going to get murdered by him. We let him stay and Danny discovered on the first night that Dougie has really bad nightmares every night and they make him wet the bed. He's not been living properly for years and it's got to the point where he can't eat a meal and keep it down. We've been trying to help him get past everything but then yesterday he went out and.. he was raped. He had a panic attack when he got back and Danny managed to calm him down a bit but he was in pieces. He eventually passed out with exhaustion but then he had a nightmare again and woke up again at about 4 this morning. He came down here about 30 minutes again and then he saw Matthew on the sofa and panicked. He's locked himself up in the bathroom and he's crying his little heart out. We've been trying to get him to calm down for about 20 minutes now but nothing is helping him.'

'Oh my gosh! That's horrible... How old is he?' I asked quietly, still trying to process everything in my head.'

'He's just 15. He said his birthday was in November.'

'Do you think maybe we could try to help? Like explain that us two and Dan will stop him getting hurt again?' Tom asked, sitting up slightly.

'By all means, you can try. But don't be disappointed if he doesn't open the door for you, he's been through a lot you know.'

'Yeah we know. Thanks Mrs Jones.' I said smiling at her before walking upstairs. Danny and his dad were crouched down in front of the door, gently knocking on it and telling Dougie that he'd be okay whilst Danny's sister watched on from down the hall. We walked over to the bathroom door and knelt down beside Danny. We smiled at him and he gave a sad smile back.

'It was h-him.. he's c-come to d-do i-it a-a-again like he s-said he would.. y-you said I'd be s-safe here b-b-but I'm n-not... he's g-going to do it a-again. It h-h-hurts so m-much... I d-don't w-want that a-again... It was h-horrible a-and so p-painful D-Danny.. please d-d-don't let him d-do it a-again.' We heard Dougie whimpering over and over from the other side of the door. I instantly felt my heart break for the boy, his voice sounded so innocent and frightened. I gently knocked on the door.

'Dougie? Dougie mate, you don't know me but I'm one of Danny's friends. I know everything that's happening is hard but I have known Danny since he was just 3 and he would never let you or anybody else get hurt. He's always protected me and been there for me and he'll do that for you as well. And me and his other best friend Tom will help him, we're all here for you Dougie. We won't let you get hurt.'

'B-but h-he's here. T-the m-man that h-hurt m-me yesterd-day. H-he's h-here to d-d-do it a-again.'

'He's not Dougie. I swear. The man that was downstairs is gone now and me and Tom are here as well as Danny and his family to help keep you safe. So there is no chance that you'll get hurt again.'

'W-what i-if he t-tries t-t-to c-come back t-though. H-he k-knows wh-where I l-live.'

'We won't let him in again Dougie. You'll be fine. I promise.' Danny leant over and said gently.

'D-Danny?'

'Yeah Dougs?'

'I-I've d-done something b-bad...' he muttered sadly, still in tears.

'What have you done Dougs? I'm sure it will be fine.' Danny said before we heard Dougie stand up from the floor and we all quickly got to our feet. The door opened slightly and Dougie looked cautiously out of it. I smiled at him and he attempted a small smile in return before looking up at Danny.

'I-I'm s-sorry.'

'What for Dougs?'

'I've b-broken t-the m-m-mirror... A-and I've g-g-got a p-piece of it s-stuck in m-my h-hand.' he said sadly as he opened the door further to reveal the bathroom covered in bottles and tiny shards of glass. He then pulled his hand from behind the door and stuck it out in front of us. It was swollen massively and bleeding, with a huge piece of glass sticking out from one part of the skin.

'Oh my gosh Dougs! What happened?' Danny asked, sounding really scared and inspecting the hand.

'I-I p-p-punched t-the m-mirror. I-I'm so s-sorry.'

'It's okay Dougie. Come on, we've got the get that cleaned up and in a bandage.' Danny said, hugging Dougie before leading him down the stairs and sitting him on the kitchen table. I knew first aid from when my parents had forced me to be in scouts and so I offered to help and Danny agreed.

'I'm really really sorry Dougie, this is going to hurt a lot but you have to stay strong okay? Do you want to hold onto Danny's hand while I do it?' I asked, preparing to pull the piece of glass out from Dougie's hand. He nodded looking very afraid and Danny took hold of his small, untouched hand, holding onto it tightly.

'Are you ready Dougie?' I asked quietly.

'Y-yeah..' he replied shakily. I began pulling the glass from his hand slowly and he screamed out in pain over and over again as it slowly got further out of his hand. He was squeezing Danny's hand so tight that he was leaving little nail marks in his palm. I continued to pull on the glass until it eventually came out as a whole. Dougie had more tears rolling down his face by this point and Danny was hugging him tight.

'Well done Dougs, that was really brave. You've done really well. I'll put a bandage on the cut and then you're done.' I said smiling at him.

'T-thank you. W-what's y-your name?' he asked quietly.

'I'm Harry. I'm 18.' I smiled back at him.

'I like that name... It's better than Dougie.' he muttered, smiling sweetly at me.

'Thanks. But I think Dougie is an awesome name.. Like a celebrity or a rock star!' I grinned at him and he giggled slightly. I grabbed a bandage and wrapped it tightly around his hand to stop it bleeding before securing it with a couple of small bits of tape.

'There you go Dougie. It's all better.' I said happily and he looked up at me and smiled.

'Do you want some lunch guys?' Danny asked quickly, smiling widely at us all. Me and Tom both nodded but Dougie just looked up at Danny with sad eyes.

'D-do I have to?' he mumbled, barely loud enough for us to hear.

'Well it will be good for you Dougs. You've not eaten since last night.'

'B-But I feel a bit s-s-sick.'

'Can you just try and eat a little bit for me? I can just make you a sandwich or something small like that if you want?'

'Okay...' Dougie sighed sadly. Danny patted his shoulder and smiled at him supportively before walking over to the fridge.

'What do you guys want?'

'I'll just have a sandwich as well please. Thanks Dan.' I replied, Tom asking for the same just a second after me. Danny went over to the bread bin and pulled out a loaf before making me, Tom and himself 2 sandwiches each and 1 sandwich for Dougie. He put them all on pltes and down on the table. Dougie got down from the edge of the table and sat on a chair beside me. It shocked me a little as I was expecting him to not leave Danny's side. He slowly picked up his sandwich and took small bites out of it, throwing it back down on the plate when just under half of it was gone. He looked up at me with pleading eyes.

'Am I allowed to leave it Harry?'

'Can't you eat just a little bit more Dougs? I'm sure it would make Dan really happy and it would make me and Tom happy too.' I tried to persuade him, being helped by Danny and Tom nodding along to what I was saying.

'But I feel really sick...' he whimpered, sounding close to tears.

'Come on Dougs, just one more bite and then you can leave it, yeah?' He nodded at me, defeated, and picked up the sandwich again, taking one large bite and swallowing it down.

'Well done Dougs. That will do you good, you know.' I smiled at him, taking his plate and dumping the end of the sandwich into the bin. We spent the rest of the afternoon just talking and watching films before Dougie fell asleep next to us on the sofa and we took hi up to Danny's bedroom to sleep. Me and Tom slept over that night as well, me and him in Dougie's bed and Danny and Dougie in Dan's bed. We all fell asleep peacefully, hoping that we could help Dougie get past all of this horror that he'd had to put up with so far.


	11. Chapter 11

Harry's POV:

I was woken up in the early hours of the next morning by Dougie gently shaking my arm.

'Are you okay Dougs?' I whispered, not wanting to wake the two sleeping occupants of the room.

'I-I've done it again.' He said and I could hear that he was on the verge if crying.

'What have you done Dougie?'

'I-I had a n-nightmare a-and I've w-wet the bed. B-but I d-don't want to w-wake D-Danny because I w-woke h-him l-last night.'

'Oh it's okay Dougie. What does Danny normally do? Does he run you a bath?'

'Y-yeah..'

'Come on then. I'll give you a bath instead.' I smiled, taking his hand and walking through to Danny's bathroom with him. I ran him the bath and he got undressed and hopped into it quickly. We sat in silence for a few minutes and it was nice to see him staring down at the bubbles in the bath, he looked so carefree and relaxed, like he didn't have a single worry. I helped him up out of the bath after about 15 minutes and wrapped him in a towel before carrying him back to Danny's room. I sat him down on a chair in the bedroom as I picked up Danny in my arms and lay him in Dougie's bed. When he was in there, I took the current sheets off Danny's bed and swapped them for clean ones. I went over to the chair to tell Dougie that it was ready, only to find out that he had fallen asleep there already. I scooped him up in my arms and lay him in the bed before climbing in next to him and pulling him tight against me.

* * *

The next morning I woke up to Dougie's face pressed hard into my chest, covering my shirt in tears.

'Hey hey.. Dougie what's the matter? Why are you crying?'

'I'm not safe! He's going to come back!'

'Dougie, I told you, Danny would never let anybody hurt you.'

'I-I know. But Danny isn't here!' he said, sounding terrified, pointing towards the smaller bed where only Tom was lying. I looked around and Danny wasn't anywhere to be seen in the room. Dougie was so frightened! He was bawling his eyes out and fisting the back of my shirt tightly.

'What if he's being hurt Harry? What if the man came after me and Danny tried to stop him and he took Danny instead? What if he's left, what if he doesn't want to look after me anymore and he's run away? What is he's gone out and my dads found him and killed him? What I-'

'Dougie, you've got to calm down or we'll never know. He'll probably come back in a second.' I said and, almost on cue, Danny walked through the bedroom door, tying the tassels on his pyjama bottoms.

'Danny!' Dougie squealed before jumping up of my knee and running to hug Danny.

'Hey, what's the matter?'

'I thought that you'd been taken or that you'd gotten tired of me and left.'

'Of course not Dougie. I will never let you be alone again.' He promised before both him and Dougie got into the small bed beside me and we all drifted off to sleep once again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Harry's POV:**

We all woke up and went downstairs at around 11. It was nice to see Dougie so relaxed, knowing that he was safe in the arms of Danny.

'What do we all want for breakfast then guys?' Danny asked happily, swinging the fridge door open. 'We've got sausages, bacon, eggs and bread... Fry up?'

'Yeah!'

'Awesome!'

'I'm not really that hungry. I'll eat something tonight.' We all turned to look at Dougie.

'Dougs, I know you don't feel very well but eating will be good for you.'

'I know.. I just really feel sick today Dan and I don't know if I can keep it down. And I hate throwing up, its horrible and just plain gross!'

'Can you just try and eat a little? Just to keep your strength up?'

'Yeah, okay.. please can I just have a couple of pieces of toast?'

'Sure Dougs, I'll get them for you.' he replied pulling Dougie into a quick hug before walking over to the toaster and grabbing some bread. Me and Tom made some sausages for the rest of us and we decided just to have sausage sandwiches instead of a full breakfast. When everything was ready, we sat down in the same places as yesterday and began to eat. Me, Tom and Dan all finished within 5 minutes however after around 15 minutes, Dougie was still only halfway through his first piece of toast. He was growing paler and paler with every bite and so once he had finished the first piece, we asked him if he wanted to stop.

'Yes please.' he said, relieved, whilst standing up and beginning to walk through to lounge. We stayed in the kitchen for a few minutes as Danny got Dougie a small blue bucket and a glass of water. When we walked into the living room, Dougie was lying on one of the sofas looking half asleep. I crouched down in front of him and gently stroked his hair, clearing it from his face.

'Are you feeling any better now Dougie?' I asked quietly. He shook his head. 'Do you want us to take you up to bed?'

'No thanks. I feel really tired, I can't be bothered walking up the stairs.'

'Okay Dougs, Do you want a blanket or anything else?'

'Please can I just have a blanket? Thank you Harry.' he smiled weakly.

'It's no problem Dougie. I'll be back in a sec.' I said, getting up and walking from the room. I went to Danny's bedroom and got a blanket and pillow from his bed, taking them down to Dougie. I gently lifted his head and put the pillow behind it before draping the blanket over him. Me and Dan sat on the other sofa while Tom took the single chair opposite us. We sat watching TV for a while in silence before Dougie suddenly burst into tears. Our heads instantly turned to him and he was sobbing loudly and shaking.

'Dougie? Dougie what's the matter?' Danny asked quickly, running to the younger boy and grabbing his hands. Dougie didn't reply, instead he just cried into Danny's shirt as he was pulled into a tight hug. 'What is it Dougs? Tell us and we can try and make you feel better.'

'I-I-I.. I-It d-doesn't m-matter. I-It isn't i-i-import-tant.'

'It's important enough if it's making you upset. Just tell me, I can try to help at least.'

'I-I just k-keep h-h-having f-flashbacks of w-what h-happened and a-all of the p-pain c-comes b-back suddenly a-and i-it's h-horrible.'

'Oh Dougs. I'm so sorry. You should never have had to go through any of this. I'll be here every step of the way from now on though and we'll get through it together okay?'

'Y-yeah I-I know. I-I'm s-sorry for c-crying.' he muttered, pulling away from the hug and wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

'Don't apologise Dougs. There's nothing to be sorry for. We just blame the horrible man who's done this to you.'

'C-Can we watch a movie? I still feel really sick and I just want to get my mind off everything.'

'Of course Dougie. The Aristocats alright?'

'Yeah.' he giggled in reply, wiping his face again before lying down fully on the sofa. The rest of us returned to our original places and sat watching the film. When it had finished, Dougie looked a little better but not much. I looked at the time and saw that it was about 2.00 and so me and Tom decided that we should probably go home and get changed and see our family's and then come back tomorrow.

'We're gonna go now mate. We'll just say goodbye to Dougie and then we'll head off.' I said when Dougie went to the toilet and me, Danny and Tom were left alone.

'Okay, thanks for coming round and helping. I think he likes you two a lot.'

'Well he seems very sincere and sweet, I can't wait to spend more time with him.' I replied just as Dougie walked back into the room.

'Hey Dougs, we're gonna go now. It's been nice meeting you.' I said calmly and before I had the chance to decide what to say next his arms were wrapped around my waist. I hugged back smiling until I suddenly realised that Dougie was crying.

'Please don't leave me. I don't want you to leave me again.' he whimpered to me as I began to rub his back soothingly.

'It's okay Dougie, I'm going to come back.'

'That's what you said last time, but you never did! You just never came back!'

'What do you mean Dougs? Last night was the first time I've met you and I've not moved from your side since then?'

'M-My unc-cle.'

'What Dougs? What about him?'

'H-he used t-to l-look after m-me a-and stop me g-getting hurt b-by m-my d-dad b-but then h-he went h-home o-one day a-and I n-never saw h-him again. H-he'd j-just left m-me. Y-you r-remind m-me of h-him a lot a-and t-that's why I-I h-had no p-problem t-trusting y-you s-st-straight away.' he muttered, hugging me tighter. I hugged him closer to my chest.

'Well it's okay Dougie. I'll go home for a little while but I'll keep on texting Danny so that you know I'm going to come back and then I'll pack a bag and tell my mum where I'm going and come straight back here and spend the night again okay?'

'T-thank you H-Harry.'

'It's okay Dougie. I'll see you in a little while buddy.' I whispered, kissing his forehead slightly before leaving out the front door with Tom, pulling my phone from my pocket, texting Danny and Dougie the moment I had left the door.


	13. Chapter 13

Danny's POV:

Me and Dougie sat back down on the sofa as soon as Harry and Tom had left and we just lay hugging. A text came through within seconds of them leaving.

'Is it him? Is he okay? Is he going to leave? Please don't tell me he's going to leave!' Dougie blurted out suddenly. His little hands were shaking as I opened up the text.

'He would never leave you Dougs. None of us will. See, it says _Hey Dan, make sure you show Dougie this. Tell him I'll be back soon. Haz x. _He's going to be back for tonight, he promised you, and he's never broken a single promise he's made to me in my entire life!'

'I know. I don't know I just... I just get paranoid because I never thought my uncle would leave and let me get hurt but then he did.'

'If he loved you as much as you say he did Dougs, he only would have left for a very important reason.'

'Yeah... You're right. I just wish that he'd rung or something, you get what I mean?'

'Yeah I understand Dougie. Come here you.' I replied smiling at him, pulling him into a hug. We sat just enjoying the embrace for a little while before I stood up to put on another film.

'We have too many Disney films I swear! Wanna watch Hercules and I can prove to you that I know every word?'

'Okay.. If you really feel the need to show that off to me.'

'Mate.. It's a skill.. Don't knock it!' I laughed in reply before we both ended up in a giggle fit. When we had calmed down I put the DVD in and we cuddled up together on the sofa under the blanket that had been brought down earlier. I had my arms loosely around Dougie's waist and his head was resting on one of my upper arms. We sat watching it for about an hour, getting regular texts from Harry, before Dougie suddenly spoke up.

'Are we allowed to go upstairs to bed? I feel ill again.'

'Of course Dougie. Are you sure you're okay?'

'Yeah I'll be fine, I just want to sleep for a while.'

'Okay then Dougs, come on!' I said, picking him up in my arms and taking him to our bedroom. I lay him in the bed and he snuggled into the quilt cover. He was asleep within moments and so I kissed his hair gently before leaving the room. Once I had closed the door and got downstairs, I got another text from Harry.

_Hey Dan. Hope Dougs is still okay. I'm just packing some clothes and then I'll tell my mum where I'm going and ask for a lift so I should be about 45 minutes. See you both soon x._

_Thanks Haz. I've just put him to bed. He said he felt ill again and that he wanted to sleep it off so I've just left him sleeping up in our room and I'll let his body wake him up when it's ready, I don't want him losing any sleep. Oh and what do you want to eat tonight? x _

_Aww, hope he gets better soon. And I don't mind, I like everything you like so you choose. Oh yeah, I got thinking on the way home, do you think we'll need to get Dougs into a school to do his final 2 years? I suppose if he's only been 15 for like 3 months then he would be in year 10, right? x_

_I never thought about that! I'll talk to mum and dad about it later. And is pizza okay? We've got hardly anything in so I can just order us a dominoes and some cookies. x_

_Sounds awesome mate! Anything else you want me to bring except all my clothes and stuff? x_

_Don't think so mate, see you in a bit. x_

I smiled as I sent the last text and walked through to the kitchen. I picked up the menu for Dominoes pizza and put in on the table with my phone and a pen. I had nothing else to do before Harry came round and so I pressed play on Hercules again and turned the volume down, not wanting to disturb Dougie's sleep. The film finished and, almost in perfect time, Harry knocked on the door. I opened it and gave him a hug before noticing his mum standing behind him.

'Hey Mrs Judd!' I smiled at her.

'Hiya Danny. Harry told me about Dougie, it's horrible what's happened to him. Whenever he wants or needs Harry round it's completely fine. I know how much it must mean to him to have you two and Tom around to help him. And I'll talk to your mum about getting him into school so you don't have to worry about it.'

'Thanks. And that'll mean a lot to Dougie, he really needs the support, especially after what happened the other day.'

'Yeah, well I'll see you both soon. Have a good night and say hi to Dougie for me.'

'Bye.' I said happily before she turned around and walked back down the drive. Me and Harry sat in the living room for a few hours just watching films and messing around before we heard small footsteps coming down the stairs. We looked to the doorway as Dougie walked through, looking pale and sweating madly.

'Hey Dougs. Are you okay?' I asked quietly.

'No.. I feel worse than earlier...'

'Well Harry's here now so we can all just sit and watch films and I'll ask my parents to pick up a pizza on their way home.'

'Okay.' he sighed, sitting in the small space between me and Harry and wrapping up in the blanket again.

'Do you want a drink of anything Dougs?'

'Please can I just have a glass of water?'

'Yeah no problem! One second.' I said, skipping out of the room and going to the kitchen. I got out a glass and filled it with cold water before taking it back through to Dougie. He took it from me, smiling graciously, and drank it all within a matter of seconds.

'Thanks Dan.'

'It's okay. Do you want another, you seem really thirsty?'

'Yes please. Thank you.'

'S'okay Dougs. Give me a second.' I said, running to and from the tap once again. He downed the second glass as well. We put it on the side table and decided on just 1 plain and 1 pepperoni pizza and a box of cookies so I rang up my parents and they said that they'd pick up our order on the way home if we rang and asked the pizza place to get it ready to be picked up. I did that before finally returning to the lounge and having a Toy Story marathon with the others. My mum and dad came home after about 40 minutes and put the drinks on the table.

'Hey boys, I've got a bottle of diet coke so I'll get you all a glass. Oh, and Harry? Please can I speak to you for a second?'

'Yeah sure. Back in a second you two.' he said happily in reply to my mum before walking through to the kitchen with her.

* * *

Harry's POV:

I stood waiting to be spoken to as Danny's mum poured the drinks into glasses. I was only waiting for a few minutes before she spoke up.

'So Dan text me about what happened with Dougie and how attached he got to you and so I was wondering, do you want us to set up another bed in Danny's room so that if you come round you don't all have to share again like last night?'

'Yeah cool. Only if you don't mind though!' I replied quickly.

'Of course its alright! Its just that having you around could help Dougie forget about everything even quicker because you remind him of a family member.'

'Yeah, well I'll come round as much as I can. He's a really sweet boy, I just want him to have a good life from now on. Oh and my mum said she'd ring you about getting him into the high school where she works. Just so that he can finish his final 2 years and get some qualifications.'

'Okay, I might ring her in a bit in case she's forgotten. Thanks for helping Harry. Here's your drink, I'll take the others.'

'No it's fine, I'll take them. See you in a bit!'

'Thanks Harry!' she said quickly as I walked out of the room. I got back into the lounge and passed the other two their drinks before sitting in my original place and watching the last half an hour of Toy Story 1. When it finished, and the pizzas and cookies had gone, Dougie started to feel sick again.

'Does anybody else feel ill?'

'Nope.'

'No I'm fine. Are you okay Dougie?' I asked the now incredibly pale boy.

'Not really, I feel worse than earlier.' he said quietly, sighing slightly.

'Do you want to go and have a sleep? Or do you want a drink or to go to the doctors?'

'I'll just get a glass of water. I'm not that tired to be honest and I'm scared of hospitals.'

'Its okay Dougie, I'll get you one.'

'Thanks Harry.' he said before i left the room and got him his water. I took it back in and he drank it all in one before placing the glass on the ground and resting his head on Danny's knee. Danny stroked his hair gently as he closed his eyes and took deep breaths. We put in the second Toy Story film and lay watching it for a little while. Well, Dougie was watching it, me and Danny were just watching Dougie to make sure that he was okay. He got progressively paler as the film went on and he was sweating.

'Danny?' he suddenly spoke up.

'Yeah Dougs?'

'I feel really really sick. Like I feel a bit like I'm going to puke. I think I need to go and sit in the bathroom for a while.'

'Okay then Dougs. Harry will take you up there and I'll bring you another glass of water in a second.' he said, helping Dougie up from the couch and passing me his arm to keep hold of to keep him steady. He swayed as we walked up the stairs and into the bathroom. When we got in there I pulled the toilet lid open and Dougie knelt in front of it, almost waiting for what was going to come next. After a minute or so, his body suddenly leant over and began vomiting. I crouched beside him and rubbed his back as he continued retching over the toilet. Danny ran in a second later with a glass of water and also crouched beside Dougie. When he had stopped being sick, after around 5 minutes, Danny poured a small amount of water into his mouth and I flushed the toilet.

'Do you feel better now Dougs?'

'No.. I-I feel terrible. I-It's w-worse than usual. I-I think I m-must actually be ill, not j-just throwing up because of the f-food.'

'Well come on, I'll put you in bed and if you're not better by tomorrow we'll take you to a doctor.'

'N-no please. I-I'm s-scared of h-hospitals and d-doctors.'

'Okay then Dougs. We'll try and work something out for tomorrow but for now just try and sleep it off. Come on, come with me and we'll get you some pyjamas and then you'll be more comfortable.' Danny said calmly, taking Dougie's small hand and walking him towards the bedroom. Halfway down the corridor Dougie suddenly slapped his hand over his mouth and sprinted back to the bathroom. We followed him and rubbed him on the back again as he vomited. When we were sure that he'd finished, I carried him back to the bedroom, where there was now another bed for me, whilst Danny went to get more water, and lay him in his own bed. He snuggled into the quilt and fell asleep before Danny came up with a bucket and a small glass.

'At least he's sleeping now, he'll probably stay asleep for a couple of hours now before having a nightmare. I hope he's not got a stomach bug, it's the last thing he deserves!'

'I know, but come on, let's leave him in peace.' I said, swinging my arm around Danny's shoulder and walking out of the room with him, silently closing the door.


	14. Chapter 14

**Harry's POV:**

Me and Danny lay just talking and hugging on the sofa for about an hour before we heard a small whimpering sound coming from upstairs.

'That'll be Dougs having a nightmare, we should go and see how he is.' Danny sighed.

'Yeah. Come on, lets go.' I replied standing up and taking Danny's hand. We walked up the stairs and went into the first room on the right, Danny's room, but to our surprise, Dougie wasn't there. We listened closer and discovered that the crying noise was coming from down the hall. We left Danny's bedroom and walked down the corridor only to be met by Dougie kneeling on the floor, surrounded by and covered in his own vomit and crying his eyes out. We ran over and crouched beside him as he cried.

'Oh Dougie.. What happened? Are you okay?' Danny asked gently.

'I-I d-didn't m-mean t-to. I-I'm s-so s-sor-ry. I-I d-didn't m-m-make i-it.' he choked out.

'It's okay Dougie, it was an accident, it happens. Come on, we'll get you cleaned up and into bed. Are you okay to stand?'

'Y-yeah.' he said before me and Dan each took one of his arms and lifted him up from the ground. I walked him through to the bathroom whilst Danny went to get some fresh clothes, some cleaning products and the bucket. He ran in with the bucket and clothes, sitting them beside the bath.

'I'm going to leave Harry to bath you and get you changed Dougs while I clean up the corridor. Is that okay?'

'Y-yeah... I like H-Harry.' he muttered and I smiled at him.

'Come on then Dougs, put your arms up and I'll get your t-shirt off.' I said before he stuck his arms in the air and I removed his shirt. After that I removed his trousers and boxers and helped him to get into the bath. It was hot water but he was sat shivering.

'Are you cold Dougs?'

'Y-yeah.. I-I feel f-freezing.'

'Well lets get you clean and then we can put you in bed and you can get nice and warm.' I replied, smiling at him. He allowed me to wash the vomit from his face and torso before I lifted him up out of the bath and wrapped him in a towel. I picked him up and carried him back through to the bedroom, lying him in his bed when we got there. He was still shaking when he was wrapped up so I got the quilts from mine and Danny's beds and covered him in those aswell.

'Is that a bit better Dougs?'

'A-A b-b-bit.'

'That's good then Dougie. Do you feel like you're going to be sick at all.'

'A l-little. M-My t-tummy r-really hurts.'

'Do you want me to get you a drink?' I asked softly, stroking his sweaty hair.

'Y-Yes please. W-W-Where's Danny?'

'He's just cleaning up the hallway, he'll be here in a second.'

'O-Oh.. t-tell him I-I'm sorry.'

'There is no need to be sorry Dougs, accidents happen. I'll be back in a minute.' I said standing up and exiting the room. I passed Danny in the hallway as he was finishing up cleaning.

'Hey, Dougs is missing you. I'll finish that if you want so you can go and see him?'

'It's okay, it's done now. I'll just take this downstairs and then I'll go see him.'

'That's fine, I'll take it, I said I'd get him a drink anyway. You go and see him.' I said, pulling Danny into a quick hug before taking the bucket of dirty water from him and going downstairs. I emptied the bucket outside and left it by the back door before getting Dougie another glass of water, jogging up the stairs with it. When I walked back into the bedroom, I was shocked to see Dougie in the arms of Danny, crying his eyes out yet again.

'What's the matter Dougs?'

'I-I-I f-felt i-ill s-so I w-went a-and s-stood by th-the window t-to g-get s-some a-a-air a-and h-he w-was t-there.' he cried out.

'Who was there Dougs?'

'T-The m-m-man. F-From t-the other d-day. T-The o-one wh-ho r-r-raped me.' he sobbed, terrified before his face lost all it's remaining colour and he lent over the bucket and threw up. Danny rubbed his back as he was sick and I looked at him sympathetically. When he had finished, we tucked him under the sheets again and tried to soothe him.

'It's okay Dougie. He's never going to get to you ever again. We're here to protect you and keep you safe and we won't ever let you get hurt again.'

'B-But h-he c-c-came b-back.'

'I know he did Dougie but we won't let him in here again, I promise, you'll never have to be alone or scared again. Just try to sleep and get better now Dougs.'

'C-Could y-you b-b-both m-maybe s-sleep with m-me to-tonight?'

'Of course we will Dougie, just let us get changed and we'll get into your bed.' I said smiling at him. He nodded and me and Danny went and got into our pyjamas before hopping into the small bed on either side of Dougie, it's a wonder that none of us fell out. He fell asleep, one of his hands linked with Danny's and the other holding tightly onto my arm, and with his head resting lightly against my chest. Me and Dan smiled at each other before linking our remaining hands together and gently dozing off ourselves.


	15. Chapter 15

**Danny's POV:**

I woke up at about 11.30 the next morning, arms tightly around Harry's waist and my lips gently brushing his own. Everything was perfect, until I realised something, where was Dougie?! I sat up, panicked, and looked around for him. He wasn't anywhere in the room.

'Harry? Harry wake up! Where's Dougie?' I asked, quickly shaking Harry awake.

'I-I don't know? He was here when we fell asleep!' he replied quickly and worriedly. We both got up from the bed and ran downstairs, seeing my parents and sister in the lounge.

'Have any of you seen Dougie?! We've just woken up and he's not there?'

'What?! No we just assumed that he was in with you and that he was still asleep! Where could he be?' My mum replied, panic building in her voice.

'I don't kn- Wait? What's that?' I suddenly stopped, listening carefully to what sounded like footsteps running around upstairs. I suddenly heard a door slam shut and cupboard door fly open.

'He's in the bathroom!' I said quickly, turning from the room and running up the stairs, Harry on my heels. I stopped outside the bathroom and knocked gently on the door.

'Dougs? Dougs why did you hide from us? Why have you locked yourself in there?' I asked carefully.

'I-It's t-too m-much. I-I d-don't w-want t-to l-live w-with th-this a-anymore.'

'What are you talking about Dougs?'

'I-I n-need t-to e-end it. I-I j-just c-c-can't d-do i-it a-anymore.'

'Dougie? Dougie I really hope you're not trying to do what I think you are.'

'I-I'm s-sorry D-Danny b-but I-I th-think I-I a-am. I-I n-need t-to D-Dan.. p-please un-underst-stand.' he sobbed to us. Panic was exploding out of me and I was shaking madly, trying my hardest not to cry.

'Dougie! Dougie stop! Just come out and speak to us!' I cried out and I heard the sounds of lids popping off several medicine tablet bottles. There was no reply so I tried again, however still, there was no reply, only sounds of small bottles and pills being put on the floor.

'DOUGIE NO!' Harry suddenly shouted from behind me.

'Please just stop..' He whimpered, almost breaking down in tears beside me.

'I-I'm s-s-sorry.' Dougie whispered before I heard the pills being scraped up from the floor. I had to stop it. I took a few steps back from the door and ran at it, over and over again until it finally flew open. I ran over to Dougie and forced his mouth open, sticking my fingers inside and scooping every last pill from it.

'Dougie how many have you swallowed? Tell me Dougie please this is important.'

'N-None..'

'Do you promise? You can't lie about this Dougie! Are you sure you haven't taken any?'

'I-I pr-promise.'

'Good boy Dougie.' I whispered, relieved, as he buried his head into my shoulder and cried out, loud, heart-breaking sobs. He didn't seem like he was going to calm down any time soon so I picked him up from the floor in my arms and carried him downstairs, sitting in the lounge with him in my lap when we got there.

'Boys? What happened? Why are you all crying?' My mum asked worriedly when we all huddled together on the sofa, sobbing quietly to each other.

'I need to tell her Dougs..' I whispered to Dougie and he nodded slightly, obviously accepting that my parents had to know.

'Dougie. He.. He... He was going to... going to commit s-suicide..' I choked out. My parents and sister all gasped before my dad ran over and wrapped his arms around all three of us.

'Why Dougie?' he asked quietly.

'I-It j-just a-a-all g-got t-too m-m-much.' he cried, even more tears cascading down his face. After about an hour Dougie fell asleep and so me and Harry lay him down on the sofa, lying next to him and wrapping our arms around him, encasing him, making sure that no more danger would ever come his way.


	16. Chapter 16

Harry's POV:

We lay with Dougie as he slept, both of us frightened to move incase he tried to do it again. After a few hours, we sensed the familiar wriggling around and knew that Dougie was having a nightmare. We stroked his head as he slept, attempting to keep him calm, however it didn't work. Dougie continued to cry in his sleep before wetting himself with fear and calming down. Me and Danny both got up from the sofa, going upstairs and changing our own trousers before going back down to where Dougie was sleeping, more peacefully now, and gently shaking him awake. He sat up slowly, eyes still sad and tired, before realising what had happened and sighing sadly.

'It's okay Dougs, don't be sad, it was an accident.'

'I know.. I just thought I'd managed to stop..'

'Well don't let it upset you, you'll get through it, you're so strong, you can get through everything, I promise!' I reassured, gaining a small nod from Dougie in response.

'Come on, lets get you into a bath.' Danny said afterwards, carefully pulling Dougie up from the sofa. We walked him up the stairs and across the corridor, however when we got into the bathroom doorway, we stopped. We had completely forgotten to clean up earlier and the door was kicked in as well as a glass of water had been spilt and Dougie's discarded pills were splattered all over the floor where he had spit them out. He burst into tears as he saw the mess and I quickly pulled him away and into Danny's room.

'Its okay Dougie! You're okay now! What's the matter?'

'Why didn't you just let me do it?'

'Because we care about you Dougie and you still have a whole amazing life to live! You need to try and stay strong Dougs, please.' I pleaded with him, once again receiving a small nod in reply as he leant into me for a hug. I wrapped my arms around him strongly, waiting for Danny to run in and tell us that the bath was ready, worrying whether things had finally gotten too much for such a young, innocent boy and his heart, full of love.


	17. Chapter 17

**Danny's POV:**

I hurriedly cleaned up the bathroom, listening to Dougie sobbing to Harry. It broke my heart hearing him so down, all I wanted to do was make everything perfect for him. Once the room was clean, I walked back to my bedroom, seeing Harry sat on the bed with Dougie on his knee, hugging the younger boy tightly and whispering soothing words into his ear.

'Dougs? Your bath is ready?' I said quietly. Harry stood him up from the bed and we both walked him through to the bathroom. When we tried to get him inside, however, he refused to move. He dug his heels into the floor and put all of his strength into fighting us off.

'Come on Dougs, you're okay now, just come in and get clean.' I said calmly, attempting lightly to push him into the room.

'N-no.. I don't want to..'

'Why not Dougs?'

'M-memories.. I don't like the memories..'

'I know it's hard Dougs but please. You won't have to stay in for long.. I promise.'

'B-but Danny...'

'I get that it's hard for you, but you need to just try. Please. Why don't you close your eyes and we'll take you in there and give you a bath and then you won't have to open your eyes again until you're back out and it won't feel like you're in the room? Please just give it a try?'

'Okay..' He sighed, closing his eyes, gulping, and allowing us to lead him into the room. Wer got him out of his clothes and into the bath quickly, washing his hair and body, before getting him out again and wrapping him in a towel. We were finished within five minutes and when we got out, Dougie opened his eyes and rubbed them, sighing with relief.

'Well done Dougs, we told you that you could do it!' Harry said with a huge grin on his face. I loved seeing them both happy, it made me happy too.

'Come on, lets get you into some clothes and we'll go out somewhere, yeah Dougs?'

'Yeah.. Awesome!' He smiled up at me as we walked back to my bedroom. He got changed and we set off in the car about 20 minutes later.

'So where do you want to go guys?'

'I don't know... I don't know what there is round here?' Dougie replied.

'Well there isn't much.. We could either watch a film or go for a meal somewhere? Should we let Dougs choose Dan?' Harry followed, smiling at us both.

'Yeah.. What do you want to do Dougs?'

'Well.. I.. erm.. I still feel quite sick.. Can we just watch a film please?' He mumbled, sounding almost scared.

'Yeah sure Dougs! Are you sure you're okay though? You do look a little pale..' Harry replied, looking towards Dougie, slightly concerned.

'I think I'll be fine.'

'Well.. okay then.. but if you feel sick, just tell us, we're here, lets get our tickets.' Harry said happily, jumping out of the car and opening mine and Dougie's doors. We went to see which films were on and when Harry saw that 'Monsters Inc. 3D' was on, he reacted like an excited five year old.

'Please please please can we watch it?! It's my favourite film ever! I'll love you forever! Pleeeaaasse!' He begged, jumping up and down, pointing to the sign.

'Go on then! Just because it's you and you look cute when you do that excited face.' I laughed, handing him the money and watching him sprint over to the desk, buying the tickets and popcorn. I glanced over at Dougie and saw his pale face. I put my hand to his forehead and flinched away when I noticed how hot he was.

'Gosh Dougs! You're absolutely boiling! Are you sure you're okay? You've gone really pale and hot.'

'I'm sure.. I'll be fine..' He replied, sighing slightly. I pulled the hoodie that he was wearing off his shoulders and swung it over my arm, attempting to cool him down a little. When Harry came back, we went into the cinema, me and Harry sitting on either side of Dougie, keeping him safe. About half-way through the film, I felt a small tugging on my sleeve. I looked down, seeing that it was Dougie getting my attention.

'I-I... N-Need.. O-O-Out. C-Can't.. B-Breathe...' He gasped out, wheezing.

'Harry, come on mate we've got to get him out of here.' I said quickly, helping Dougie up from his chair. Harry quickly followed and we hurried out of the cinema with Dougie. I crouched him down beside a wall, putting his head between his legs and trying to help him breathe.

'Come on Dougs, Deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth, that's it.'

'N-Not... W-Working. G-Getting.. W-Worse...' He panted.

'Just try Dougs please.'

'F-Feel.. S-Sick.. L-Lied..'

'What do you mean Dougs? Why did you say lied?'

'L-Lied.. A-About.. T-Tablets. T-Took.. H-Half.' he managed before being sick and passing out in my arms.

'Shit! He took half the tablets! Crap, we need to get him to a doctor. Call an ambulance and get some help off someone!' I said quickly to Harry. He ran off to the desk and blurted out what had happened before one of the men ran over, kneeling beside me and laying Dougie down on the floor.

'Do you know what's wrong with him?'

'He... He attempted suicide earlier.. He swallowed a bottle of pills. I didn't know, honestly! I asked him and he said no but he only just told me that he swallowed half. Please help him!' I exclaimed, fighting back tears.

'I'll try to. The ambulance is on its way. CAN SOMEBODY GET ME SOME WATER AND CLOTHS PLEASE?! QUICKLY!' He shouted, checking over Dougie for signs on breathing. A crowd had now gathered and I could hear people whispering around me. It was driving me mad but the most important thing now was Dougie. I took hold of his small, limp hand and squeezed it tightly as Harry took his other and did the same. Just as we heard the ambulance coming, I felt Dougie squeeze my hand back and he looked up at me with huge, terrified eyes.

'S-Sorry... L-Love Y-You... B-Both o-of y-you..' He choked out, passing out again once he'd finished, his head meeting the floor with a sickening thud.


	18. Chapter 18

***Blows away and chokes on layer of dust* YES! I KNOW! I STOPPED UPDATING FOR SO LONG AND I'M SORRY! I hit major writers block on this story and I only just managed to get past it so I really am sorry! I hope you enjoy this, even though it's really just a bit of a filler, and yeah... Sorry again for being such a terrible writer and updater! Love all you amazing readers and reviewers out there! Enjoy x**

* * *

** Harry's POV:**

We sat in the back of the ambulance with Dougie, both silently praying that he'd be okay. We were both devastated when we found out he'd lied to us about the pills, him obviously believing that the half-bottle he took wouldn't do him any harm. As we sat in the ambulance, tears rolling down each of our faces, me holding onto Danny's hand and him holding onto Dougie's, I began to think about Dougie. About if and when he made it through this, what would we do to get him out of the mess he'd been pulled into, with no say in the matter at all. Even though we were both silent, I knew that Danny was thinking the same as me, thinking about Dougie's dad, and the disgusting man who had raped such a broken, innocent young boy and who had then come back several times and terrified his victim further. Also thinking about us, me and Danny were a couple, and had been for over 3 years. How would we tell Dougie if he never made it through? How would we find the strength to finally tell our families if we were both so broken by the death of who was now effectively Danny's brother, and who I knew would be my best friend for life? As we sat there in the ambulance, a sudden thought occurred to me.

'We should ring Tom!' I said to Danny, feeling slightly shocked with myself that we had begun ignoring our best friend in the world over the past two days.

'Oh my gosh yeah! I can't believe we never thought of that! He has to know what's happened!' Danny said quickly in reply, motioning for me to call Tom. I pulled my phone from my pocket and rang him up.

'Oh hey Haz! Are you and Dan and Dougs okay? Did you manage to make Dougie feel better when you got back to Danny's after we left?' Tom asked happily. I loved him so much, any other friend would have been pissed that we'd ignored him for the first time in years, but he just kept on smiling and knew that me and Danny would never abandon him out of spite or meanness.

'Well actually.. That's why I'm calling.. Would you be able to come to the hospital? Dougie swallowed half a bottle of pills.. He was trying to end it.. But now he's passed out and we're in an ambulance.' I replied to him, trying to sound as calm as I could as not to scare him.

'Oh my gosh! I don't know what to say! I'll be right over to the hospital, I'll meet you in the waiting room.' He said worriedly, and I could hear him picking up his car keys and opening the door through the phone. I smiled slightly at the fact that although he had barely had time to get to know Dougie, he still cared about him as if he'd known him all his life.

'Tell him to keep fighting Hazza, and you and Dan stay strong together too! See you soon!' I heard him say before he hung up, assumedly beginning to shoot off to the hospital in his car. I couldn't help but find it sweet that, among all of the drama, Tom was still concerned about me and Danny as a couple, knowing himself that he was the only person we had ever told. I put the phone down and gave Danny a sad smile.

'He's coming babe, don't worry.' I said comfortingly to Danny, holding his hand again and rubbing the back of it with my thumb, knowing that it calmed him down. We then lapsed into a comfortable, but tense, silence again as we both sat, silently worrying about our best friend.


	19. Chapter 19

Dougie's POV:

I woke up, bright lights shining in my eyes and in a bed that felt unfamiliar.

I lay for a couple of moments before a kind of hot feeling rushed through my body and I sat up and threw up everywhere. I blinked a few times, to focus my eyes, and saw the faces of Danny, Harry, Tom and Danny's parents. I sat up further when I felt myself about to be sick again and Danny quickly pulled out a small cardboard pot which I could throw up into. He rubbed my back as I was sick and attempted to make me feel a little better. I looked down into the bowl and noticed that what I was throwing up was black.

'W-What's h-h-ha-happen-ning?' I stuttered out, before being sick into the container again.

'Don't try to speak Dougs. You've had your stomach pumped, this is just how it works.' Danny said soothingly, still rubbing my back as I was sick.

'W-Why?' I asked, not remembering any reason why I should be in this situation.

'You... Erm... You tried to.. Um.. You tried to kill yourself by swallowing some pills... This is the only way to get them out.' He replied quietly, with a bit of a stutter. I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. I had tried to end my own life and I couldn't even remember doing it. I began to cry as I sat on the bed, not just small cries escaping my mouth occasionally, but loud sobs, racking my body and a flood of hot tears flowing down my face.

'You're okay Dougie. Please stop crying, we're here for you and you're okay now. Once you've stopped being sick we'll take you straight back home.' Harry said soothingly, coming over to the bed, followed by Tom.

'Yeah and if you want, we can just have a big film day. Ask these two, well... Ask anyone... I'm a Disney addict!' Tom laughed lightly to me. Even though me and Tom had never spoken before, I instantly felt that with that single sentence, we were now best friends and we had an amazing connection. I smiled at Tom and nodded.

'I-I think I'm better now. Are we allowed to go? I'm scared of hospitals..' I muttered to them all. Danny's parents nodded and left the room, returning around 10 minutes later.

'Right Dougie, we've managed to persuade them to let you go, but you have to promise that you wo-' Danny's mum managed to say before I cut her off.

'Shit! Danny!' I said quickly. Danny knew what was happening and so he pulled out another cardboard dish and thrust it under my chin. I was sick once more before nodding at Danny's mum to carry on.

'So he said we could take you home as long as you promise not to go out or mess around too much for a day or two, just because you're going to be a little weak and ill and we don't want you passing out again. Okay?' She continued. I nodded and so she smiled at me.

'Well we'll go and wait outside while you get that gown off and then we can take you back home.' Danny's dad said kindly before him and Danny's mum left the room. I went to stand up, causing me to vomit again, before attempting to get my gown off. As I reached my arms above my head, I felt a sudden shooting pain in my stomach, causing me to double over in pain.

'Dougs? Dougs just take it slow, your stomach must be burning. Do you want us to help you?' Danny said quickly, running over and holding onto my arm to give me support.

'Y-Yes please.' I muttered in reply. Danny just nodded in reply and began to slowly pull the gown off over my head. Once it was off, he got Tom to hold me up while he pulled my shorts up my legs and put a fresh t-shirt onto me. Once we'd finished, he walked me slowly out of the room, sneaking a few of the cardboard pots out under his shirt.

'You ready to go boys?' Danny's mum asked happily, receiving nods from us all in reply. We walked out and got into the car, when Tom suddenly spoke up.

'Oh Dan! I forgot to tell you! I came up with a tune and melody kind of thing for I Wanna Hold You so I was wondering when you wanted to hear it?' He said happily.

'Awesome mate! I've been waiting ages for this... Why don't we run round yours before we go to mine and you can pick up one of your guitars and then you can come back to mine and me you and Haz can play Dougs a few songs?' Danny replied excitedly.

'Thats a great idea!'

'But Dan, I've not got my drum kit? And there's no fucking way that's going to fit in the boot.' Harry laughed slightly.

'Oh.. Crap! Well... I kind of.. Erm... Well for your birthday.. I know it's ages away.. But I erm.. I finally got the money saved up and I.. I erm.. I kind of bought you a drum kit... And it's at mine... Sorry for spoiling the surprise.' Danny stuttered, suddenly becoming nervous and blushing slightly.

'Aw Dan! You're the best friend ever! I love you so much!' Harry grinned widely, planting a small kiss on Danny's cheek, causing him to blush further. I smiled at how close they were.

'Mum? Please can we drop off at Tom's before we go home? Just so he can pick up his guitar?' Danny asked his mum.

'Yeah sure! Got a new song?' She replied happily.

'Yeah! I wrote it all by myself!' Danny grinned widely and his mum and dad both replied with big smiles and congratulations. We dropped round at Tom's house and when we got home, Danny helped me up to our room. I lay down in my bed as Danny and Harry carried the drum kit through from the closet in the corridor. They were all sitting around practising when I felt a sudden rush of nausea hit me.

'Crap! Guys I feel sick!' I said quickly, sitting up in bed. Harry stood up and ran over, grabbing one of the spare cardboard bowls from Danny's bed in the process, before sitting with me as I was sick and soothing me.

'You sure you're feeling alright Dougs?' He asked gently once I'd finished. I nodded weakly and he laid me back in the bed.

'Do you want me to get you anything Dougs?' He asked softly, tucking me under the quilts.

'No thank you. Please can you play me some songs?' I asked, smiling up at Harry.

'Sure Dougs! What should we play him boys? Bit of All About You? Or what about Surfer Babe... He'd love that!' Harry replied happily, going and taking his place at the drums.

'I'd say Surfer Babe then 5 Colours and then All About You. Oh and then after that Tom can play us I Wanna Hold You! Is that okay?' Danny said with a smile. The other two nodded before they all started playing. I couldn't believe that Danny had never told me about their band. They were amazing! When they finished I clapped them madly and they all burst out laughing at my little fanboy attack.

'You guys! That was seriously amazing! Why did you never tell me about this Mr Jones?' I said happily, but calming down a little as I was beginning to feel sick again.

'Thanks Doug. And I don't know.. It just never crossed my mind I guess.' Danny laughed back at me, looking carefree, sitting down beside me on the bed. I cuddled up to him slightly, the sick feeling growing in my stomach, and feeling like I needed to be close to someone. Danny wrapped his arms around me and hugged me close.

'You okay Dougs?' He asked quietly, looking down at me.

'Not really.. I still feel a bit ill. Will I have to go back to the hospital? I really don't like it in there.' I mumbled to him.

'You don't have to go back there, don't worry Dougs. And you'll feel better in a couple of days, you just have to rest for a while and let your stomach get it all out.' He said comfortingly, rubbing my forearm and bringing the cardboard bowls over to my bed so that they were there for if I felt ill.

'Thanks Danny. And Harry and Tom as well... Thank you all.'

'Its okay Dougs. We're all here for you, always. Now how about we hear that song these two little writing angels have been working on!' Harry replied, grinning widely at me.

'Yeah, sounds awesome!' I said happily, wriggling down into the bed between Harry and Danny while Tom perched on the end with his guitar. He began playing and got about half way through another amazing song before I sat up, feeling myself about to throw up.

'Danny! Bowl!' I said quickly, leaning over towards the bowls. He quickly grabbed one from the pile and held it under my chin. I was sick a couple of times before I lay back down in the bed.

'I'm really sorry Tom..' I mumbled, still feeling weak and ill.

'Don't be silly Dougs, it's not your fault. Are you okay?' He replied with a small, comforting smile.

'I think so, yeah.' I replied, getting back into my previous position. Tom nodded and carried on with the song from where he left off. When he'd finished, we all clapped him and Danny cheered.

'Mate that's amazing!' He smiled happily to Tom.

'Well you wrote it!' Tom giggled in reply. Both Tom and Danny went silent then, both just kind of blushing, obviously feeling a little awkward and overwhelmed by the other saying how talented they were. I managed to kill the cute moment by leaning over Danny and being sick into a cardboard container. Danny quickly began stroking my hair to calm me down.

'Are you okay Dougie?' He asked once I'd finished. I nodded weakly, not too sure of my own answer. He laid me back down in the bed and tucked me in again.

'I think you should probably sleep for a little while Dougs. You must be quite tired and sore, and your stomach might feel bit better after a sleep.' He said quietly. I nodded and so he placed a light kiss on my forehead before walking to the door.

'Night Dougs!'

'Goodnight Dougie!'

'Have a nice sleep Dougs. Hope you feel better in the morning.' I heard Harry, Tom and Danny shout to me before the door clicked shut and I fell into a heavy sleep.


End file.
